Gerald McMaster was born in Saskatchewan and grew up near North Battleford on the Red Pheasant Reserve; currently lives in Ottowa. A member of the Plains Cree tribe, he studied fine art at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He was Head of Indian Art program at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College a the University Regina and has been the Curator of Contemporary Indian Art for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec, since 1981.

He recently completed a Master degree in anthropology at Carleton University, Ottowa, and was the Commissioner for the Canadian Pavilion of the 1995 Venice Biennale.

His works in painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation have been featured in many solo exhibitions, and he has published numerous critical articles on contemporary native art and the representation of native people.